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Statistics Pathways in CSU Quantitative Reasoning Findings by the Chancellor’s General Education Advisory Committee

October 20, 2015 On the recommendation of the Chancellor’s General Education Advisory Committee, the California State University authorizes temporary recognition of statistics pathways curriculum in satisfaction of the Quantitative Reasoning requirement for transfer admission and completion of lower-division coursework in general education. Statistics Pathways Curriculum Statistics pathway curriculum develops student proficiency in quantitative reasoning toward culminating coursework in statistics rather than calculus. Faculty have deemed this curriculum potentially appropriate for majors in the arts, humanities, and certain professions and social sciences. Because such curriculum omits topics covered in traditional intermediate algebra at the high school level, this authorization represents an exception from current policy. Students who major in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, and calculus-intensive fields in the social sciences and professions, are advised to continue meeting existing requirements in Quantitative Reasoning. Period of the Exception This authorization takes effect immediately and, unless further action is taken, will expire at the beginning of the fall term, 2019. Six California Community College Districts are already testing one version of statistics pathway curriculum, the Statway curriculum developed under the auspices of the Carnegie Foundation. Their permission to apply these courses to general education transfer credit and CSU transfer admission eligibility is hereby extended to Fall, 2019. During this exception period, all California Community Colleges are invited to propose statistics pathways curriculum for transfer credit in Quantitative Reasoning. These courses may be drawn from Carnegie Statway or other, similar approaches, such as the statistics pathways developed by the California Acceleration Project. The process and deadlines for such proposals are the same as for any other courses proposed for general education transfer credit. Any courses approved as a result of this exception period will appear as usual on ASSIST.org.

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Implications for GE Certification, Transfer Admission, and Associate Degrees for Transfer Students who complete approved statistics pathways curriculum during the exception period will be deemed by the CSU to have met the quantitative reasoning requirement in the “Golden Four” requirements for transfer admission. They will also have satisfied Area B4 Quantitative Reasoning of the CSU GE Breadth transfer curriculum. In its statement of January 16, 2015, the UC Board of Admissions and Relations with Schools (BOARS) recognized Statway indefinitely for UC transferability. Because both the CSU and UC systems approve courses for the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), the CSU’s recognition of these courses through fall 2019 also extends to their IGETC approvals. During this exception period, the CSU will also recognize statistics pathways curriculum used to satisfy the Quantitative Reasoning requirements in Associate Degrees for Transfer. Before pursuing these courses for GE credit, community college students should check with their advisors, and take care that the existing quantitative reasoning course wasn’t also meeting a requirement in major preparation. Purpose of the Temporary Exception The CSU used the initial pilot authorization of Statway at six community college districts to gather evidence of educational effectiveness and improved persistence for students transferring to the CSU. Those reports have been submitted, and they supported the case for this extension. We thank staff at the Carnegie Foundation and our colleagues among the CSU and CCC faculty and administration who contributed to them. This authorization is now expanded to include other statistics pathways curriculum in quantitative reasoning, and to include the rest of the California Community Colleges. The CSU will use this extended period to:

1. continue to monitor the efficacy of statistics pathways curriculum, in terms of demonstrated learning outcomes, improved persistence, and reduced achievement gaps; and

2. inform our subsequent revision of the permanent policy. Specifically, we acknowledge the reservations expressed by the chairs of our math departments and others, concerned that the learning represented by intermediate algebra may be useful beyond preparing students to pass their next math course. At the same time, the CSU recognizes that educational practice in this area is rapidly evolving, and that a permanent successor policy should be adopted in coordination with the UC system, the community colleges, and the Common Core State Standards and Smarter Balanced Assessments. This exception period is granted to provide time for such coordination. Questions may be directed to Ken O’Donnell, Senior Director of Student Engagement, kodonnell@calstate.edu.